Smoke-Producing Device for an Outdoor Grill

ABSTRACT

A re-useable smoke-producing device for use in burning pre-soaked wood chips on an outdoor propane or charcoal grill, with the device being made of a stainless steel cylinder with holes punched in a pattern on the body of the cylinder and the base of the cylinder, with the holes of a size and pattern that allow for optimal smoke production. The device stands upright on a grill surface, is open on the top end, and allows for the grill cover to be closed over the device. The device has a handle for safe and convenient removal of the device from the grill.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application Ser. No.62/778,104, entitled “Smoke-Producing Device for an Outdoor Grill,”filed Dec. 11, 2018, the entire disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to devices used for generating smoke toflavor food on an outdoor grill.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Smoking meats has evolved into an art form in many areas of the UnitedStates, with the use of portable smoking devices in backyards,tailgates, and even regional and national competitions. A challenge inthe area has been to develop a smoker device that produces an optimalamount of smoke to flavor food, that is easily portable., that isefficient for the user, and that provides for safe handling.

Using wood chips and wood chunks to smoke meat is often time-consumingand labor-intensive for the cook.

Large smoker devices, such as offset smokers, are cumbersome (sometimesweighing hundreds of pounds) for transporting from one location toanother and take up a lot of space in a yard or on a deck. Offsetsmokers traditionally have a drum barrel body, a chimney and aside-mounted firebox. Other large smoker devices include water smokers,box, barrel and pellet smokers. Large smoker devices can also be veryexpensive, with well-constructed offset smokers costing $1000 and up.Another disadvantage of large smoker devices is the vulnerability oftheir performance to windy, rainy or cold weather conditions.

Traditional gas or propane grills do not provide food with the desiredsmoke flavor that can be obtained from a dedicated wood burning smoker.

Various devices and methods have been developed and tried by cooks overthe years to add smoke flavor to food cooked on outdoor grills. Forexample, the Smokenator® Prism (“Prism”), https://www.smokenator.com/,is a stainless steel smoker box that holds hardwood pellets for smokingfood on a gas or charcoal grill. The Prism lays flat on a surface andhas caps on each end. A disadvantage of the Prism is that a cook mustpick up the Prism without spilling the contents and without gettinginjured by coming in contact with a hot surface. Further, the entiresurface of the Prism is covered in holes, potentially resulting in toomuch smoke being produced.

In addition, smoke boxes have been used which are generally made of abox or container that holds water-soaked wood chips and has a lid withholes to allow smoke to dissipate. Pouches made of hole-punched aluminumfoil have also been used. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,525, Smoke GeneratingDevice (stating that “In the preferred embodiment, device 10 iscylindrical in form, being rolled from aluminum foil and having its endsclosed”).

Smoke boxes or other containers used in the past have been placed on agrill near or in contract with a burner flame. These devices allow smokecreation as the wood chips are heated and the water in the wet woodchips vaporizes. However, this generally does not create the desiredsmoke taste in meat or other food. Also, after the wood chips in aconventional smoke box or container begin to char, this will providesome smoke flavor but not the desired smoke accents and smoke rings thatresult from a dedicated wood burning smoker.

Other devices used with outdoor grills have included moving parts, suchas a regulator that must be adjusted by the user. See U.S. Pat. No.9,603,372 B2, Wood Chip Smoker for Outdoor Grills. Some devices haveincluded a cover on one end that must be manipulated and removed by thecook to add wood chips during the cooking process and results inadditional clean-up. See U.S. Pat. No. 10,021,889, Grill SmokerApparatus. Some devices only allow for smoke to emit from one end of adevice. See U.S. Patent Application 2014/0216274, Smoke Producing Deviceand Method for Outdoor Cookers. Further, some devices have a cover witha port for emitting smoke in a particular direction. See U.S. Pat. No.9,486,000, Grilltop Smoker Box (FIG. 1).

It would be advantageous to develop a device that provides optimal smokepermeation in an outdoor grill where the device is also easily handledand allows for 360° of smoke emission.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention disclosed herein relates to a smoker device that providesoptimal smoke production for smoking meats or other food on an outdoorpropane or charcoal grill with minimal adjustment by a cook. Theinvention is designed to allow a cook to easily add smoke flavor tomeats or other foods while cooking on an outdoor grill.

The device is a stainless steel cylinder with perforated holes in acolumned pattern around the cylinder, as, well as perforated holes inthe base of the device. The cylinder has a handle, stands about seveninches in height, 4 and ¾ inches in width, and has a weight of about onepound.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a side view of the smoker device.

FIG. 2 shows a bottom view of the smoker device.

FIG. 3 shows a different side view of the smoker device.

Terms used in this application are defined below.

Wood chips: Wood chips refer to either wood chips or wood chunks thatmay be of different wood varieties, such as hickory, pecan, apple,mesquite or oak wood. Wood chips are also sometimes made from barrels orother wood items, such as Jack Daniels® barrels. Wood chips are commonlyfound for purchase at retail stores or sporting outlets.

All other terms used in this specification are given their usual andcustomary definitions as used by one of ordinary skill in the field.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

The present disclosure describes and claims a device for smoking foodson an outdoor propane or charcoal grill. The present invention reducesthe risk of injury when the cook periodically adds pre-soaked wood chipsor wood chunks, as the cook simply drops the wood chips or wood chunksinto the open top of the device. Thus, the invention allows for saferhandling and cleaning and provides 360° of smoke emission on an outdoorgrill.

The device allows for a maximum amount of air flow and allows the deviceto produce smoke comparable to that produced by a large smoker, such asthose described above.

The device is designed to allow for easy clean-up and transport. Thedevice may be rinsed out with water after use. Because of the compactsize, and weight of only about a pound, the device is more easilytransported than a traditional large smoker while providing similarquantity and quality of smoke flavor and markings to food.

Thus, in one aspect, the invention is a hollow stainless-steel cylinder,open at the top end and closed at the bottom end, forming a base. Theheight of the device is tall enough and wide enough to allow a chef toput sufficient charcoal and wood chips but not so tall as to interferewith closing the grill cover. Generally, a cook will need to addapproximately a hand-full of wood chips or wood chunks about every 30 to45 minutes, depending on the amount of water absorbed by the chipsduring the pre-soaking process. In a preferred embodiment, the device isabout seven inches in height and about 4¾ inches in diameter, with aweight of about one pound. The body of the cylinder and the base haveholes in the stainless steel. The holes in the body of the cylinder arearranged in about six sets of three columns each, and alternate in sizeby row within the columns. Most of the holes in the body of the cylinderare approximately 0.3 inches in diameter, except that some holes have adiameter of approximately 0.4 inches. The holes in the base of thecylinder also vary in size from approximately 0.3 inches to 0.4 inchesin diameter. The holes in the body and base of the cylinder are spacedabout 0.3 inches apart.

The stainless steel in the body and base of the cylinder isapproximately 0.050 inches, or 1/16 inch, in thickness.

A handle of made stainless steel is attached at two ends to the outsidebody of the, cylinder and extends out from the cylinder by a distancesufficient to allow an oven mitt or other heat, protective device suchas a pot holder, to pass through between the body and handle. In oneembodiment, the handle extends out of about one inch and the length ofthe handle, is about 5.4 inches.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of one aspect of the invention. This aspect of thedevice 1 shows the body 5 of the cylinder 10 with holes 20 ofapproximately 0.3 inches in diameter 15 as well as larger holes 30 ofapproximately 0.4 inches in diameter 25. The holes are spacedapproximately 0.3 inches apart 35. The holes are arranged in sets ofcolumns 45 around the cylinder 10, with the columns spaced approximatelyinch apart 55. The open top 40 of the cylinder is shown with a diameterof approximately 4.6 inches 65. A handle 50 with a length ofapproximately 5.4 inches 75 is shown extending a distance ofapproximately one inch 85 from the exterior of the cylinder 10.

FIG. 2 is a view of the base 60 of the cylinder 10. The holes 70 in thebase have a diameter of approximately 0.4 inches 75.

FIG. 3 shows the device of FIG. 1 turned 180°.

The device can be made from flat stock metal, preferably stainlesssteel, and formed into a substantially cylindrical shape. The holepattern can be punched, stamped or lasered into the metal sheet, beforeor after it is formed into a cylinder, and then polished for burn andrough surfaces. The side and bottom piece can be welded onto thecylinder. Alternative methods of forming sheet stock into forms are wellknown in the art. While a cylindrical shape is the preferred design,other shapes may be employed. The device may be of varying heights toallow for use in grills of different sizes and with different clearanceheights between the grill surface and a closed grill cover.

To use the device, a cook would place the device on a grill surfaceabove an open name, for example, on the food grates. A cook then addsabout a dozen pre-lit charcoal briquettes to the inside of the devicefollowed by pre-soaked wood chips until the device is about ¾ half.Ideally, the wood chips should he soaked for two hours prior to use. I fusing wood chunks, the chunks should be soaked for at least eight hoursprior to use, and the chunks should fill the device to the top. Afteradding the wood chips or wood chunks, the lid of the grill should beclosed.

The spacing and arrangement of the holes on the device provides foroptimal smoke production. The holes permit the smoke to emit from theopen top of the device as well as the sides, providing smoke in anydirection and allowing cooks to add smoke flavor to foods regardless ofwhere the foods are placed on the grill surface. The holes on the bottomallow for oxygen to feed the burning in the device.

As the wood begins to burn in the smoker, the grill will be filled witha continuous supply of smoke. Periodically, more wood chips or woodchunks can be added to the device. The cook can add more wood chips orwood chunks to the device by simply opening the cover of the grill andadding the wood chips or wood chunks directly into the device withouthaving to remove the device from the grill. The burning wood createscoals as it slowly burns, which creates its own heat source to ignitewood added to the device.

Because the smoker rests inside the grill, the smoker never makescontact with the food being smoked. Food for patrons with differentdietary restrictions can be smoked in the same grill. The size of thesmoker makes it convenient for back yard grills, travel, and the like,and does not take up much space reserved for food on the grill. Thesmoker also eliminates the need for a separate smoker device.

While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one ofordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be thebest mode thereof; those of ordinary skill will understand andappreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents ofthe specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The inventionshould therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment,method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within thescope and spirit of the invention.

All references, patents, and patent publications described herein areincorporated by reference in total.

I claim:
 1. A barbeque smoking device, comprising: a substantiallycylindrical shaped hollow body having an open top end and a closedbottom end; a handle affixed to body at least one attachment point nearthe top end; a plurality of first and second holes arranged along thebody; a plurality of third holes and fourth holes arranged in the closedbottom end.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein the first holes and secondholes differ from each other in diameter of approximately of 0.1 inchand the third holes and fourth holes differ from each other in diameterof approximately 0.1 inch.
 3. The device of claim 1 wherein theplurality of first and second holes are arranged in a pattern of columnsspaced approximately 1.0 inches apart around the circumference of thebody; with each column comprising of at least nine rows of three firstor second holes per row spaced approximately 0.3 inches apart; and withthe rows of holes alternating between first holes and second holes inthe column;
 4. The device of claim 3 wherein the rows alternate withfirst holes of approximately 0.3 inches with second holes ofapproximately 0.4 inches in diameter.
 5. The device of claim 2 whereinthe plurality of third and fourth holes in the base are arranged in anasymmetrical pattern.
 6. The device of claim 1 where the device isstainless steel with a thickness of approximately 0.05 inches.
 7. Thedevice of claim 1 where the handle forms a second attachment point tothe body a point above the base and encloses an aperture of size thatallows an oven mitt to pass through the aperture.
 8. The device of claim1 wherein the body has a height that permits the cover of a barbequegrill to be closed when the device is placed inside the barbeque grilland a diameter that allows for food items to be placed on the barbecuegrill at the same time as the device.
 9. A method of manufacturing abarbeque smoker comprising the steps of: providing a first sheet ofmetal having a plurality of holes therein and a second sheet of metalhaving a plurality of holes; forming the first sheet of metal into ahollow cylindrical body having a first end and a second end; andattaching a handle by welding or other fixed means to the outside body.10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of forming the first sheetof metal into the body comprises to steps of: rolling the first sheet ofmetal into the body; welding a generally circular piece of metal ontothe second end to close the end, the piece of metal having at least thesame diameter of the body, and trimming any protruding excess metal fromthe body.